Weather: Rain. Perfect baking weather!
Three days until Christmas: Almost all the shopping is done. Most of the gifts are wrapped. I took the turkey out of the freezer so it would be thawed by Wednesday. I've made my yearly batch of peppernuts or pfeffernüsse cookies, mixed up a batch of candied pecans, and made peanut blossoms with Hershey kisses. Today I hope to make chocolate crinkles and peanut butter balls and then I'll call it good. Just in time to share my sweet treats with my neighbors. What about you? How are your holiday preparations going?
Favorite books of the year: Every year I put together several lists of favorite books: This past week I published my favorite book club selections. This week I hope to pull together a list of favorite audiobooks. And today I am publishing my 2024 favorite nonfiction books.
My favorite nonfiction reads of 2024: Instead of writing lengthy descriptions of each, I've linked the titles to my reviews. Please visit those reviews to learn more. The nice thing about nonfiction titles is the subtitles usually give a big hint about the topic.
- Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow -- America right before WWII was enamored by fascism. I wish more people read this before the election.
- Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, with Brendan O'Hea -- The famous British actress has a series of interviews with Brendan O'Hea about all the roles she played in Shakespeare's plays.
- Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed -- Advice from Dear Sugar, a on-line help site. Sugar, Cheryl Strayed, became well known after this for her book Wild.
- Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- This YA version of Kimmerer's excellent source about indigenous practices was illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt and adapted by Monique Gray Smith. It was a book club favorite.
- Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia to Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton -- The author visited all 63 of the National Parks and talked about his experiences in each according to themes. I was reading this while we visited the five National Parks in Utah.
- The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the Federal Government Over Climate Change by Elizabeth Rusch -- Twenty-one students, with the help of activist lawyers, have sued the government but eight years after they brought the case, it has not gone to trial yet. Discouraging yet importantly encouraging at the same time.
- House Lessons: Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister -- A woman buys a run-down house in Port Townsend and spends time renovating it. She learns about herself in the process. A popular book club choice.
- The Mona Lisa Vanishes: a Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day -- A terrific middle grade book about a well-known artist and his most famous work.
- Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share -- Based on the wildly popular Instagram account, Subpar Parks celebrates the incredible beauty and variety of America's national parks juxtaposed with the clueless and hilarious one-star reviews posted by visitors. I laughed my way through this one and enjoyed the illustrations, too.
- Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie -- Twenty years after a fatwa was declared over this author, he was attacked and nearly killed by a knife-wielding terrorist. This book brings the focus back onto literature. [No review yet.]
- Honorable Mention: The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos -- A hospice nurse shares what she has learned about life and death.
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| Singing! |
Music: Today was the annual cantata at church. Both of my daughters and my husband sang in it. Hubby is in the back row with the beard. Daughter #1 is right in front of him, and daughter #2 is in the front row right in front of the violinist. I loved watching them sing and felt such joy at the music. Carly had a solo in a number called "Turn Your Heart to Christmas." I thought it was such a poignant message. It is not referring to the materialistic Christmas but the holy, spiritual, peace-loving message of Christmas. // Earlier in the week my daughters sang "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the grandkids. Both girls were in jazz choir in high school and sang the Fred Waring version of the song every year. Enjoy the 1955 production of the song.
May you receive a blessing this season and find both hope and peace.
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